


Coward

by Child_of_Harpy



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Sort Of, Talking to self, anyway, basically when naruto looks in a mirror the kyuubi shows up, bc it basically just looks like naruto in early kyuubi stages, kind of, with the whiskers n shit, yknow?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 08:56:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19764844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Child_of_Harpy/pseuds/Child_of_Harpy
Summary: "Do you know who we are? Am I you? Are you me? If one of us died, just dropped dead right this minute, would the other continue to live?""You say that as if this really counts as a life."





	Coward

He opens his eyes. It's 6 Am. He can hear the rain outside.

At some point during the night, he'd kicked all his blankets onto the floor. He shivers and puts on his sweatshirt.

"You seem miserable, as always." The voice comes from the bathroom today. Sometimes, it's from his nightstand.

He ignores it. His breakfast is getting cold.

He falls back into bed. He didn't do anything today, but his whole body aches. His navel, especially.

He turns over and falls asleep.

He opens his eyes. It's 5:30 Am. Outside, he can hear the early morning ambiance of the village. It sounds vaguely distorted. He chalks it up to distance.

He puts on his sweatshirt, even though he's not cold. His back hurts, so he thumps it a few times.

He brushes his teeth in the bathroom. He doesn't look in the mirror. 

"You can't avoid me forever."

He doesn't say anything.

"You _do_ know that, right?"

He frowns, spitting into the sink. He still doesn't say anything.

He wakes up on the floor, in the doorway of his kitchen. He doesn't remember falling asleep. 

He stands on unsteady legs. Makes his way to the bathroom again.

This time, he looks. He can't avoid it forever.

The thing staring at him from the mirror does not look like him and he knows it. Its cheek markings thicker and darker than his, the hair wilder, the eyes red and full of a violent, spiteful energy. There are no shadows under its eyes, no bruise on the cheek, no split lip, no scars. This thing is not him.

"There you are. I knew you'd come around eventually."

He stares. "Why do you do this?"

The creature smiles too wide, baring too many needle-sharp teeth. "What, the mirrors? Talking to you? Well, what else am I supposed to do?"

He looks down, opens his palm and places it on the mirror. The creature does not do the same, its clawed hands stay at its sides.

"You really aren't just my reflection, are you?" He meets its eyes. They seem to swirl and melt, dripping down and leaving trails of red on its face.

"I'm a part of you that you can't get rid of. I'll always be here. That body doesn't _just_ belong to you. Someday, that body will be mine."

He slumps forward, his forehead thudding against the glass. "If I broke this mirror, would you be able to escape?"

"Your body is my true prison. This mirror is more of a getaway than a holding cell, if anything. More room to breathe."

"...Why do you look like that? Are we really the same person? If I died right now, would you die too?"

"I can't answer that."

"That sound outside. Is it raining?"

"It is."

He opens his eyes. His heart is beating fast and he's curled on his side.

"...Are you still there?"

"Of course, dear."

**Author's Note:**

> so what if like
> 
> the reality is that even though kurama is an utter shithead
> 
> he's naruto's only company?
> 
> just this kid living alone in the bad part of town with only a vindictive fox spirit to keep him company?
> 
> i think about that sometimes. i think about how naruto's life wasnt unreasonably optimistic. he lives alone, he's tired. he's sort of constantly done with everyone's shit. he's not always a good person, because the way he grew up taught him to prioritize his own wellbeing. 
> 
> i like the real version too, the way it is in the anime and manga. not too bad, lonely but doing ok.
> 
> i want naruto to be at peace with himself; the good and the bad. to embrace the fox spirit and say "no matter what, i'll continue to live."
> 
> i'm feeling strange tonight. moonbrain.


End file.
